As the smoke cleared from the Jimmy Butler deal, not much had changed for the Knicks on the trade front:
– As of Wednesday night, the club was not in significant talks on any Mitchell Robinson trades (as noted on The Putback); so barring an unforeseen, unlikely change of plans in the next 18 hours, Robinson will be a Knick past the 3 p.m. deadline.
– Nothing new on the Jericho Sims front either; I’d still expect New York to find a new home for the big man before Thursday’s deadline. Some members of the Rockets organization are fans of Sims.
A few other situations to monitor on Thursday:
– The Chicago Bulls were still holding a high price for big man Nikola Vucevic earlier Wednesday. They were looking for a package that included a first-round pick that wasn’t heavily protected/a pick that didn’t turn into multiple second-rounders if it didn’t convey. Vucevic had drawn interest from several teams in the days leading up to the deadline.
– Several teams have talked to the Grizzlies about deals involving veteran point guard Marcus Smart. Those talks will likely continue into Thursday. Smart, 30, is under contract through next season ($21.5 million); the Grizzlies have a few financial decisions to make this offseason, among them re-signing Santi Aldama. The club would obviously want to bring Aldama back. Jaren Jackson Jr. is also eligible for an extension that would start in 2026-27.
– Two other potential moves worth watching on Thursday: the Raptors have shown interest in Brandon Ingram, sources confirm. You can cross one of Ingram’s suitors – Golden State – off of the list. Orlando was among a group of teams talking to Chicago about Coby White earlier this week, per sources familiar with the matter.
